How Better Call Saul Reflects the American Legal System’s Flaws
Through Character and Case Realism
Better Call Saul stands out for its unflinching portrayal of the shortcomings in the American legal system, exposing how power, ambition, and money can warp the pursuit of justice. Through the journey of Jimmy McGill—who becomes Saul Goodman—viewers see the legal world depicted on AMC’s series as complex and often compromised. The show’s connection with Breaking Bad only intensifies this exploration, highlighting recurring issues across both series.
Rather than relying on over-the-top courtroom drama, Better Call Saul presents legal professionals who regularly blur ethical lines to get ahead or protect themselves. These choices reveal how the justice system can enable morally gray behavior, reflecting broader issues in US law.
The show’s realistic depiction of legal work and its flaws has captured the attention of both audiences and aspiring lawyers. This blog post examines how Better Call Saul mirrors real problems in the American legal system, making it one of television’s most thought-provoking legal dramas.
Depiction of the American Legal System
Better Call Saul uses its legal drama setting to highlight specific flaws and realities of the American legal system. The show examines courtroom procedures, offers notable authenticity in the portrayal of law, and draws attention to key limitations and challenges within the current legal landscape.
Portrayal of Courtroom Procedures
Courtroom scenes in Better Call Saul often depict both formal and informal aspects of legal proceedings. Judges, lawyers, and defendants interact in ways that match real-life exchanges found in US law. Motions, plea deals, and cross-examinations are shown with a realism uncommon in other series.
The legal process is depicted as sometimes chaotic. Rules are strictly enforced, yet loopholes and technicalities are also explored. The show captures how personal relationships and reputations can influence courtroom outcomes—subtly pointing to biases that exist within the system.
One useful detail is the representation of bail hearings and public defender work. The pressures placed on defense attorneys and the sometimes hasty handling of cases reflect the real pace and backlog common in many US courtrooms.
Authenticity and Attention to Detail
Writers and consultants for Better Call Saul demonstrate a commitment to accuracy in their depiction of legal drama. Many courtroom procedures, such as filing motions and the handling of evidence, are shown step-by-step. The consistent use of legal terminology and documents, paired with realistic settings, bolsters credibility.
The show avoids sensationalized cross-examinations or dramatic courtroom outbursts that are common in less accurate legal shows. Instead, interactions between legal professionals often occur in conference rooms, law offices, and negotiation tables. This focus reflects how most real legal work happens outside of court.
Visual elements such as court dockets, attorney-client confidentiality, and the stress of managing ethical boundaries are integrated into the narrative. These details add a layer of authenticity for viewers familiar with the US legal process.
Reflection on the Legal Landscape
Better Call Saul does not idealize the legal profession. It presents the American legal system as complex, often influenced by money, connections, and power. Corruption, ethical gray areas, and unequal access to justice are central themes that reappear throughout the series.
Using Jimmy McGill’s transformation into Saul Goodman, the show examines how personal ambition interacts with systemic flaws. The character’s willingness to bend rules highlights vulnerabilities in the legal process. Lawyers working within the system are frequently portrayed as constrained by incentives that do not always support fairness.
Key societal critiques include the overwhelming caseloads in public defense and inconsistent treatment of defendants based on resources. Such portrayals encourage viewers to question whether the courtroom truly functions as an impartial forum for justice.
Characterization of Lawyers and Legal Professionals
Better Call Saul offers a detailed look at the legal field, focusing on real-world dilemmas like ethical boundaries, client obligations, and the differing roles of lawyers. The series builds vivid portraits of legal professionals through plotlines dealing with ambition, injustice, and the nature of legal work in America.
The Evolution of Jimmy McGill
Jimmy McGill’s progression from earnest public defender to Saul Goodman, a flamboyant criminal attorney, provides a pointed critique of the legal system’s loopholes. In the beginning, Jimmy is depicted as resourceful but struggling, juggling elder law and court-appointed cases.
As the series progresses, systemic barriers such as financial pressures, institutional gatekeeping, and a lack of respect from peers push Jimmy toward shortcuts. His rebranding as Saul Goodman marks the adoption of aggressive and sometimes unethical tactics to gain clients, especially in personal injury and criminal defense.
This evolution highlights how the legal system’s flaws—including inconsistent enforcement and professional hierarchies—can incentivize questionable behavior. Each stage of Jimmy’s career illuminates a different aspect of the pressures experienced by lawyers.
Contrast Between Public Defenders and Private Attorneys
The show draws a sharp line between the challenges facing public defenders and those working as private attorneys. Public defenders in the series deal with overwhelming caseloads, minimal resources, and clients who often cannot pay, reflecting real-life issues frequently faced in the American legal system.
Private attorneys, by contrast, typically have access to more support and the capacity to choose their clients. Characters moving from public defense to private practice, like Jimmy, are portrayed as escaping burnout but also facing their own ethical trade-offs.
The depiction clarifies that while public work emphasizes ideals of justice and accessibility, private practice can sometimes lead to prioritizing financial gain over client welfare. The struggle between these paths gives viewers insight into the personal and professional choices lawyers must make.
Professional Responsibility and Conduct
Better Call Saul scrutinizes the ethical obligations that govern lawyers, such as confidentiality, truthfulness, and the duty of loyalty to clients. Several plotlines revolve around professional responsibility: fabricating evidence, bending procedural rules, and the temptation to use legal knowledge for personal advantage.
Characters like Saul Goodman frequently explore the gray areas of legal ethics, revealing how professional conduct is sometimes compromised by ambition, rivalry, or desperation. The show references real standards for legal professionals, including the disciplinary risks of misconduct.
Key ethical conflicts are illustrated through:
Handling of client funds
Attorney-client privilege
Conflicts of interest
Obligations to the court
Better Call Saul uses these scenarios to illustrate the real-world challenges lawyers face in adhering to codes of professional conduct, and the consequences when they fail to do so.
Legal Ethics and Professional Obligations
Better Call Saul presents a complex picture of legal ethics, sharply illuminating the tensions lawyers face between professional obligation and personal interest. The series provides concrete examples of how lapses in judgment and disregard for rules can erode trust in the legal system.
Ethical Dilemmas in Legal Practice
The show frequently depicts Jimmy McGill (later known as Saul Goodman) facing ethical crossroads in his role as an attorney. He often navigates cases where client interests conflict with the obligation to follow the law.
Situations involving fraud, witness manipulation, and bending the truth place him in direct conflict with core ethical standards. Such choices reflect the real-world challenges attorneys face when confronted with ambiguous or high-pressure situations.
These ethical dilemmas are not unusual in legal practice. Attorneys must constantly weigh their duty to clients with their broader responsibilities to the court and society.
Common Legal Ethical Dilemmas
Dilemma Example in Series Client perjury Coaching clients to lie Concealing evidence Destroying incriminating evidence Conflicts of interest Representing opposing parties
Boundaries of Professional Conduct
Professional conduct rules set the minimum standards for lawyer behavior. Better Call Saul highlights how easily these boundaries can blur.
For example, Jimmy’s tactics often push, and sometimes break, rules regarding confidentiality and candor to the court. He sometimes exploits legal technicalities or manipulates facts to benefit his clients even when such actions threaten professional integrity.
The series underscores that enforcement of these standards relies on internal discipline, oversight by state bars, and individual conscience. When these controls fail, the risk of unethical behavior increases.
Key Areas of Professional Responsibility:
Truthfulness in statements to courts
Protection of client confidences
Avoidance of conflicts of interest
Consequences of Ethical Breaches
Violating ethical obligations can lead to formal discipline, damaged reputations, and failed careers. In Better Call Saul, characters who cross ethical lines often face direct consequences, including disbarment, loss of clients, and personal downfall.
Professional sanctions such as suspension or permanent disbarment are real risks for attorneys who commit fraud or mislead courts. Such outcomes not only endanger the individual's practice but also undermine public faith in the fairness of litigation.
The show’s portrayal serves as a reminder that even minor ethical breaches can have far-reaching impacts on both lawyers and the legal system at large.
Critique of the Justice System's Shortcomings
Better Call Saul exposes cracks in the American legal system through cases, negotiation scenes, and courtroom strategy. By focusing on how legal concepts play out in practice, the show highlights real-world issues that can shape legal outcomes in troubling ways.
Issues with Litigation and Legal Outcomes
The series repeatedly illustrates how litigation often favors those with aggressive tactics or deep pockets. Legal proceedings devolve into gamesmanship, with summary judgment motions and plea deals sometimes prioritizing efficiency over justice.
Jimmy McGill, as both a criminal defense attorney and a litigator, manipulates procedural rules to achieve results that aren’t always fair or just. The negotiation of settlements and charges often relies more on leverage and less on facts or morality.
Litigation depicted on the show often sidesteps the principle of impartial justice. For example, wealthier or more knowledgeable parties exploit loopholes and technicalities, undermining the idea that courts are neutral arbiters.
Key problems include:
Exploitative bargaining in settlements
Pressure to accept plea bargains rather than face trial
Strategic use of summary judgment to avoid juries
Flaws in Jury Dynamics
Jury selection is portrayed as a meticulous and sometimes manipulative process. Attorneys work to shape the pool through voir dire, sometimes excluding those they fear will not sympathize with their client.
Episodes demonstrate how jury members bring biases and preconceived notions into the courtroom. The show reveals that the final verdict may depend more on persuasion and emotional appeal than on the strength of the evidence.
Jury dynamics can be swayed by compelling storytelling from criminal defense or prosecution, rather than logical argument alone. As a result, the outcome of a trial may hinge on charisma or perception rather than the substance of legal concepts and facts.
Storytelling Techniques and Narrative Structure
Better Call Saul stands apart from typical legal dramas by relying on careful attention to detail and layered storytelling. It highlights the transformation of its main characters while depicting the often-unseen mechanics and flaws of the legal process.
Transformation as a Central Theme
Transformation drives the narrative arc of the series. Jimmy McGill’s gradual shift to Saul Goodman demonstrates how systemic pressures and ethical gray areas can shape a person’s identity. This change is not abrupt; the show uses subtle cues, such as changes in wardrobe and speech patterns, to illustrate internal conflict.
Character development is woven tightly with their experiences in the legal system. The writers emphasize how repeated compromises and personal failures wear down even the most well-intentioned characters. Each step in Jimmy’s transformation is grounded in realistic legal struggles, making his descent believable rather than sensational.
The series also explores transformation through secondary characters, such as Kim Wexler and Chuck McGill. Their own journeys reflect the complex impact the legal field has on personal values and choices. Visual storytelling—like deliberate camera placement and framing—underscores these changes, making character shifts clear without overstating them.
Narrative Use of Legal Processes
Better Call Saul pays close attention to the mechanics of law, using actual legal processes to move the story forward. Detailed courtroom scenes, plea negotiations, and Bar Association hearings are not just background—they drive conflict and illuminate systemic flaws.
The legal process is depicted through step-by-step sequences, often showing the paperwork, deadlines, and technicalities that define real-world law. This focus exposes inefficiencies and loopholes, highlighting how legal maneuvering can override true justice. For example, the show often illustrates the gap between technical innocence and moral guilt.
Writers employ procedural elements to reveal character motivations. A table or document shown in a scene can be pivotal to understanding a character’s plan or ethical stance. By letting the audience see both successful and failed legal strategies, the series offers a nuanced critique of how the law can be manipulated—sometimes by those it is supposed to protect.
Impact on Public Perception of Law
Better Call Saul reaches millions of viewers and shapes how they see the legal profession and the ethical dilemmas lawyers face. Its layered storytelling and complex main character, Saul Goodman, draw attention to both the realities and dramatizations of the American legal system.
Accuracy Versus Dramatic License
The show sets itself apart by portraying law with more accuracy than most legal dramas, especially in day-to-day court procedures and professional conduct. According to many lawyers and legal professionals, the series often captures the real pressures, paperwork, and ethical boundaries faced by attorneys, offering a rare glimpse into both the mundane and the morally ambiguous sides of legal work.
However, Better Call Saul still employs dramatic license for entertainment. Saul Goodman’s actions—routinely breaking rules, manipulating the system, and blurring lines between criminal defense and outright fraud—are exaggerated compared to what most lawyers experience. The series sometimes condenses or amplifies legal drama for narrative effect, such as speeding up court timelines or showing breaches of client privacy that would have major real-world consequences.
Despite these embellishments, the series sparks genuine discussion about ethical lapses, the consequences of cutting corners, and systemic flaws in the legal system. This dual focus on realism and drama helps viewers understand some truths about the legal profession while still keeping them engaged.
Influence on Prospective Legal Professionals
Better Call Saul has become a touchstone in discussions about joining the legal field. Many aspiring lawyers are drawn to the profession by the show’s nuanced characters and depiction of high-stakes ethical questions, but are also made wary by its unflinching look at burnout, corruption, and moral compromise.
The depiction of professional conduct, from careful case preparation to the balancing of client interests and legal duty, provides insight into the real work and responsibilities of lawyers. Yet, the show also highlights how easy it can be to cross ethical lines, as seen in Saul’s transformation from Jimmy McGill into a morally flexible persona.
Some law students and early-career professionals report that the series encourages self-reflection about personal values, privacy, and long-term career motivations. By showing both the rewards and risks of practicing law, especially compared to the more sensationalist tone seen in Breaking Bad, the series fosters a critical view of what professionalism in the American legal system really means.
